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Causes For The Loss Of Biodiversity Article
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The Concept Of Biodiversity – An Exercise In Variability
from:While it shouldn't be, it's often hard for people to wrap their minds around the concept of biodiversity. Partly this is because the concept of biodiversity is a complex one, and partly it's because so many agencies have vested interests in people seeing anything that conserves resources as a threat to their lifestyles. The first steps toward defining the concept of biodiversity were undertaken by E.O. Wilson in the mid-1980s. Since then, the concept has become so important that there are a number of world, national, and local initiatives targeted at reducing biodiversity loss by 2010.
The concept of biodiversity breaks down into three major factors, all of which are interwoven:
First is the concept of genetic diversity. This refers to the variation of genes within a single species and can be further broken down into two components: genetic variations within distinct populations of the same species, and genetic variations within a population.
Next is the concept of species diversity. This take us up one rung as we consider the varieties of species within a region. There are two main measures to assess this: the first is species “richness”, or the number of species, both plant and animal, that inhabit an area; the second is the more precise “taxonomic diversity,” which takes into account the relationships between species in addition to their numbers.
The third factor, and the overarching one, is ecosystem diversity. Since the boundaries between various biological communities are highly fluid, this is the most difficult factor to measure accurately, yet it may very well be the most important, since this is where changes that affect all life occur. Climate change, often caused by things like global warming, are among the greatest threats to ecosystem diversity.
Biological diversity includes the variety of ecosystems, and their patterns. It also includes their linkages across regional landscapes. There is a hierarchy of the parts and processes of biological diversity that is, admittedly, artificial. This hierarchy also has a distinct human context (i.e., things are seen in the context of how useful they are to humans). Still, it provides a focus for the concept of biodiversity, which is so infinitely varied that any lens taken to it must be narrowly focused compared to the full spectrum of both the topic and human needs.
Understanding the concept of biodiversity should be a high priority for everyone, since we cannot preserve it if we don't understand it, and not preserving it will ultimately affect the lives of all of us. One of the best ways of understanding the very broad concept of biodiversity is reading the various definitions used by scientists, philosophers, environmentalists, and others.
Causes For The Loss Of Biodiversity Specific links
Causes For The Loss Of Biodiversity News
Mass Extinctions in the Cards Absent Urgent Action - Inter Press Service
 Zee News | Mass Extinctions in the Cards Absent Urgent Action Inter Press Service By Bo Normander and Supriya Kumar* WASHINGTON, May 23, 2012 (IPS) - This past Tuesday, May 22, marked World Biodiversity Day, but it came and went without too much public interest. The loss of biodiversity has not received the same amount of attention ... Overfishing will result in disappearance of fish species in 50 years: Official |
Richer Parasite Diversity Helps Protect Frogs from Viruses That Cause ... - Science Daily (press release)
 Eureka! Science News | Richer Parasite Diversity Helps Protect Frogs from Viruses That Cause ... Science Daily (press release) According to CU-Boulder Assistant Professor Pieter Johnson, scientists are concerned about how changes in biodiversity affect the risk of infectious diseases in humans and wildlife. Charting the relationships between parasites and amphibians is ... Want fewer frogs with extra legs? Add parasites |
India to soon take the lead in biodiversity conservation - Hindu Business Line
India to soon take the lead in biodiversity conservation Hindu Business Line The biodiversity conservation targets set at Nagoya in 2010 during the 10{+t}{+h} Conference of Parties, aim to tackle the causes of loss of biodiversity by involving government and society, promote sustainable exploitation of natural resources, ... |
SA wetlands under threat - Health24.com
SA wetlands under threat Health24.com Based on NBA 2011, the growth of agriculture, mining and urban sprawl were the main causes of a loss of natural vegetation in the three provinces, according to the presentation. Areas taken over by non-native or alien invasive plants had more than ... |
Loss of biodiversity will affect ecosystem - Western Front
Loss of biodiversity will affect ecosystem Western Front Biodiversity loss — the dwindling variation of life forms — could influence ecosystem change more than previously thought, according to a study published May 2 by a team of scientists, including Western biology professor David Hooper. |